J-1 Student/Scholar Non-Immigrant Status Information

The following information will help you maintain legal non-immigrant status in the U.S.

Immigration Documents

As an international student in the U.S., you have (or should have!) in your possession certain very important papers. You should always keep these documents safe, and make photocopies of them just in case they are lost. The Office of Visa and Immigration Services will also take copies of these documents to keep in your file. They are listed as follows:

Passport.

DS-2019: This is the form sent to you by your program sponsor - in this case - Dartmouth College. Once you have used it initially to apply for and receive the J-1 visa, you must present all three copies to the immigration official upon your entry into the U.S. The official will keep two of the copies, and stamp and return to you the pink copy. You must keep this pink copy and have your international advisor sign the back with a travel endorsement before you subsequently leave the country for any reason. This signature is required if you plan to re-enter the U.S. to finish your program.

Form I-94: An I-94 is one of two immigration documents which, in general, permit a J-1 foreign national to stay temporarily in the United States during the validity of the J-1's authorized stay (while maintaining lawful J-1 status). The I-94 will be different depending on how the J-1 foreign national enters the U.S.:

If entering by land -- I-94 card -- The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at the United States port of entry will issue an I-94 card to the foreign national, and will indicate on the I-94 the foreign national's immigration status or classification (J-1, H-1B, etc.). For J-1 and J-2 foreign nationals the CBP officer should indicate Duration of Status or D/S on the I-94 rather than an expiration date. Duration of status or D/S refers to the length of time a J-1 student or scholar has permission to remain temporarily in the United States.

If entering by air or by sea -- passport Admission stamp -- this stamp will be given to the J-1 foreign national by the CBP officer at the port of entry when he or she arrives in the U.S. The individual's passport will be stamped with the date of admission, class of admission and the admitted-until date ("D/S"). The foreign national's arrival information, including the Admission number, will be processed electronically by CBP. We strongly recommend that an electronic Form I-94 be printed out and saved after enterance into the U.S. You can access and print your electronic Form I-94 by clicking here.

Evidence of funding.

To Maintain Legal J-1 Status

Students: pursue a full course of study each academic term at the institution listed on your DS-2019 form.

Apply on time for an extension of stay, a transfer to another exchange program, a change of category or a change of visa status, within the limits of your current program.

Before accepting any employment, have the required authorization from the Office of Visa and Immigration Services. Please click on the links to the left for more information on J-1 student employment or J-1 student academic training.

Notify the Office of Visa and Immigration Services and the CIS of any change of address and/or telephone number within 10 days of the change.

Maintain the required health insurance coverage. Please click on the link to the left for more information on J-1 health insurance.

Twelve-Month Bar to Re-entry in the Scholar/Professor Category

Individuals who have been in the U.S. in J-1 status in any category except short-term scholar, during more than 6 months of the previous 12 months, are barred from re-entering the U.S. in J-1 research scholar or professor categories for one year. This rule also applies to those in J-2 status.